Licorice

[Guest guest]

Here's an interesting article on Licorice.

I haven't researched which products would be best to take, but I do

take DGL: the bottle says 'DGL is a unique extract of

deglycyrrhizinated licorice widely used in Europe. In DGL, the

glycyrrhizin--a compound associated with high blood pressure--has

been removed.'

People commonly take DGL to coat the lining of the esophagus and to

prevent gastric reflux. I've found it helpful if I get home very

late and eat right before going to sleep.

Perhaps there is a better product to get the compound discussed in

the article

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Original article:

http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/Article/84/98275.htm

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Licorice Root May Keep Mental Skills Sharp

By Warner

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

on Monday, March 29, 2004

March 29, 2004 -- A compound derived from licorice root may help slow

the effects of aging on the brain and keep mental skills sharp.

Researchers found the compound, known as carbenoxolone, appears to

inhibit an enzyme in the brain that is involved in making stress-

related hormones, which have been associated with age-related mental

decline.

The study, published in the online early edition of the Proceedings

of the National Academy of Sciences, showed daily supplementation

with the compound improved verbal fluency in healthy elderly men and

improved verbal memory in older adults with diabetes.

Although this was a small study and more research is needed to

confirm the results, researchers say the licorice root compound may

offer a new way to help prevent the normal decline in memory and

other cognitive skills people experience as they grow older.

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Licorice Root May Fight Effects of Aging on Brain

Researchers say previous human and animal studies have shown that

differences in cognitive function can be attributed to differences in

long-term exposure to hormones produced by the adrenal glands, such

as cortisol.

In the study, researchers examined whether inhibiting levels of an

enzyme required to increase the activity of these hormones with the

licorice root compound might have any effect on cognitive function.

A group of 10 healthy men aged 55-75 years and 12 older adults with

diabetes were randomly assigned to take either 100 mg of

carbenoxolone per day or a placebo. Neither group had dementia or

other impairment, but had only the expected age-related changes in

mental function.

After four weeks, researchers found healthy men that took the

supplement performed better on a word association test that assessed

their verbal fluency skills.

After six weeks of using the compound, the verbal memory skills among

the people with diabetes improved, according to various list learning

and paragraph recall tests.

Previous studies have suggested that the licorice root compound might

increase insulin sensitivity and improve diabetes, but glucose

control levels remained unchanged during the study in this group.

Cortisol levels in the blood also remained unchanged in the study.

Researchers say those results suggest that carbenoxolone may act

directly on brain cells and reduce the amount of the hormone

circulating in the brain to prevent or slow age-related declines in

cognitive function.

SOURCE: Sandeep, T. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

March 29, 2004, vol 101.

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one theory I have is that the reason for the improved mental

sharpness is that people spend a lot of time trying to spell

the words " deglycyrrhizinated licorice, " and this challenges the

brain and improves mental function

(just kidding---rjb)

[Guest guest]

bob: where do you get your DGL? As one of the senior CRONIES, I'd be

interested................

on 4/10/2004 8:52 PM, RJB112 at rjb112@... wrote:

> Here's an interesting article on Licorice.

> I haven't researched which products would be best to take, but I do

> take DGL: the bottle says 'DGL is a unique extract of

> deglycyrrhizinated licorice widely used in Europe. In DGL, the

> glycyrrhizin--a compound associated with high blood pressure--has

> been removed.

Licorice Root May Keep Mental Skills Sharp

By Warner

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

on Monday, March 29, 2004

March 29, 2004 -- A compound derived from licorice root may help slow

the effects of aging on the brain and keep mental skills sharp.